A Reform council axed Black History Month events — so locals held their own
Community groups stepped in after St Helens Borough Council said it would not support the annual initiative, which it branded ‘racist’
Community groups in Merseyside came together to hold their own Black History Month celebration after the Reform UK council leader of St Helens claimed that the annual observation was “racist” and “divisive” and said the local authority would not mark it.
Organisers estimate that more than 600 people attended the event, held at St Helens Minster on Saturday by several local organisations that had initially planned their own smaller celebrations but joined forces in a show of unity following the council’s decision.
Bisi Osundeko, a former Labour councillor and the borough’s first Black deputy mayor, was among those who organised Saturday’s event. She described the efforts as “the good people of St Helens trying to fight back”.
Shana Begum, who founded St Helens The Best Me CIC, a survivor-led organisation providing trauma-informed care and training, also helped organise the event.
“Black history is history — it’s everyone’s history,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to learn, grow and unite.”
Council leader George Woodward had announced in a Facebook post at the start of October that it was “not appropriate for celebrations to centre on one skin tone” and that “taxpayer’s money shouldn’t be contributing to subversive woke movements”.
Osundeko has lived in St Helens for about 15 years. “There’s so many well-meaning charities, services, individuals and local businesses that want to see a better St Helens,” she said. She added that she was “very annoyed” but not surprised by Woodward’s comments, which came after the newly Reform-led council similarly refused to support Pride Month and its withdrawal of funding for Refugee Week.
“The way he actually communicates with people, what I see is division,” she said.
Black History Month is marked every October in the UK to celebrate the contributions of Black people to British history and culture, which campaigners say have often been overlooked.
Emma Bamber, chief executive of the Laziz Project, which supports people seeking asylum, refugees and others looking for sanctuary in St Helens, and who also helped organise the event, said Woodward’s comments were “ridiculous” and had prompted a weekend of hateful comments online after she and others spoke out against the decision. However, she also said she saw an outpouring of support from locals.
“This would not have happened if he hadn’t said what he said,” said Bamber, who has worked in St Helens since 2021. “It’s brought us together for an amazing celebration right in the heart of St Helens.”
Saturday’s event was largely self-funded by the organisations involved, with some financial support from Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action.
According to the 2021 census, 0.4% of residents in St Helens identified as Black, while 0.7% identified as Muslim.
Begum, who has lived in St Helens since 2018, said she and her children had experienced racial hostility since the council’s change in leadership in May, and that racist abuse had escalated over the past couple of years more broadly, including slurs directed at her children in school.
“We’ve had everything, from ‘you look like a monkey’ to ‘go back to your country’, even though I was born here and my kids were born here. How do you explain that to your child?” she said. “There is always a fear when they go out.”
She added that Black History Month is an opportunity to challenge prejudice through education and bring people from different backgrounds together.
Osundeko, who moderated a council-organised Black History Month panel discussion in 2025, said she was also concerned about the impact of hostile rhetoric on children — but insisted that it did not reflect the St Helens she had lived in for years. “When you’re out and about, you will see a lot of good happening,” she said.
A spokesperson from St Helens Borough Council said its “commitment to creating an inclusive environment is not defined by any single brand or calendar month — it is a continuous, year-round priority”.
